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Psychology Cross-Training for Theologians resources

Through much of 2024 and 2025, i was privileged to participate as a Fellow in the Psychology Cross-Training for Theologians Project, delivered by the University of Birmingham and funded by John Templeton. The Project encouraged collaboration between theology and psychology and fitted well with the empirical research I do for AngelWings Ltd, studying how change happens in communities and religious groups.

The Psychology Cross-Training for Theologians Project involved three visits to the University of Birmingham, for training in psychology engaged theology, along with 12 months of online meetings for research project development, complemented by online mentoring from an experienced psychologist. This was excellent professional development, particularly in qualitative and quantitative research skills and updating me on developments in open science approaches.

The Project also included small grant funding for a research project. For many years I have explored listening processes in educational and community settings. So I used the small grant funding to reflect on these experiences. Specifically, I conducted research into the social impact of spiritual practices, focusing on several practices that encouraged listening. I drew together cohorts of people in local congregations to share in a repeated spiritual practice of four or eight weeks. I gathered data on people’s experience including pre and post surveys, focus group reflection and research diaries.

I have presented initial findings of this research at several conferences, including a poster at the Psychology-engaged Theology Conference and papers at the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) and Ecclesiology and Ethnography. I have submitted two journal articles which are under peer review and am analysing data for two further journal articles.

The Psychology Cross-Training for Theologians Project has now made some of the resources available to the public. These include:

• a training course aimed towards researchers. This includes the modules, “Introduction to Psychology for Theologians,” “Foundations of Psychology-Engaged Theology,” “Research Methods and Practices,” and “Research Outputs and Dissemination”.
• a podcast series aimed towards practitioners, bringing current psychological research into practical dialogue with theological and pastoral questions:
• a resource list aimed towards RE teachers (or potentially those teaching undergraduate psychology of religion). This includes introductory animations developed by our team, including an “orientation to psychology of religion”:
• a blog series featuring reflections and reports from cross-training team members, fellows, mentors, and friends

I am delighted that some of my work during the Project occurs in these publicly facing resources.

Two blog posts I wrote are online. Interruptive Interviews at the Intersection of Psychology and Theology is co-authored with two other Fellows  Dr. Alison Woolley and Dr. Allen Jorgenson. It reflects on our experience of semi-structured interviews in dialogue with psychology and how interviews can be spaces of hospitality that support the wellbeing of participants and deepen the spiritual encounter with self and others.  Listening with Purpose II: A Theologian Reflects on the Interface between Theology and Psychology and reflects on what practical theology can learn about listening from psychology.

Finally, in the podcast series aimed towards practitioners, I have an interview reflecting on The social impacts of listening in community settings. I talk about initial findings from the research, how different congregations engaged and how spiritual practices can benefit congregations and community organisations. (While for some reason the Episode is listed as “coming soon” it’s still good to be profiled as producing practitioner resources!)

• Episode 1 – Ageing as a liminal experience in theological and psychological terms
• Episode 2 – Moral injury, spiritual damage, and abuse in Catholic ecclesial contexts
• Episode 3 – God and self-representations among Christians with intellectual disabilities
• Episode 4 – Necessary interdisciplinary reflections on racism in the Church of England, informed by psychological research
• Episode 5 – Associations between perceptions of God’s “where-being” (transcendent, immanent, or indwelling) and contemplative prayer practices
• Episode 6 – Patient and chaplain perspectives on the success of spiritual care visits
• Episode 7 – The social impacts of listening in community settings

At a personal level, while the Psychology Cross-Training for Theologians Project has finished, I continue with various dimensions. I have since used several psychology scales in survey design and in my writing. I am hosting with Dr Lynne Taylor a monthly Soul Space in our local congregation, which introduces a spiritual practice, locates it in Scripture, names the psychological benefits and invites sharing about what we as a congregation are learning as we practise a practice. I have continued research, including working with 7 congregations on a quantitative study around Lent. I continue to analyse data, hoping to write at least two further journal articles.